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• “The Church has always venerated the divine

Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the

Lord” CCC 141

• “I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to me

will never hunger, and whoever believes in me

will never thirst.” Jn 6:35 NAB

Sacred Scriptures

An Investigation of How Catholics

View Sacred Scriptures

Jason Collins, M.A.

Introduction

• Most scholars agree that the stories of Jesus

were recited orally.

• As the apostles were martyred, the early

Church realized they need to write down the

stories of Jesus for subsequent generations.

• It was the early Church leaders that

determined which books were included in the

canon of scripture.

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Introduction

• Christianity is an

inspired religion.

• As Catholics, we believe

Jesus founded one

Church guided by the

Holy Spirit.

• Apostolic succession

continues until today.

Introduction

• Bishops have an important place in the

transmission of Tradition called the

magisterium.

• Through them, Sacred Scripture and Tradition

are reinterpreted for the modern day.

Introduction

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Genesis 3:1-24

Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Rome

Genesis 22:1-18

Exodus 3:4-14

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Exodus 20:1-17

• I bring you 15 (crash) 10 commandments!

Psalm 23

• Psalm 23

Isaiah 53:1-12

• Isaiah 53:1-12

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Matthew 5:1-16

• Sermon on the Mount

John 6:22-40

• Bread of Life Discourse

Acts 2:1-13

• The descent of the Holy Spirit.

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Revelation

• Revelation 12:1-6

How Catholics Read the Bible

• The Jewish Scriptures prefigure the Christian

Scriptures. Remember Isaac?

• The Jewish Scriptures tell the story of the Jewish

people from the start of history, through slavery,

foundation of a country, then losing that country

and finally returning from exile.

• Throughout that history, the Jewish people stay

faithful to God and lay the foundation for the

savior.

How Catholics Read the Bible

• By just going to Mass regular, you will hear

most of the Gospels and a portion of the

important parts of the rest of the Bible.

• Since right before Vatican II; Catholics have

been encouraged to read, pray, and discuss

the Bible.

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How Catholics Read the Bible

• First, we accept the Bible as the inspired word of God.

• “God is the author of Sacred Scripture because He inspired its human authors; He acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth” CCC 134 citing DV 11.

• Catholics are not bible literalists, for example the Church does not teach that creation only took six days.

How Catholics Read the Bible

• Second, we read the Bible with a sense of tradition and an awareness of the time the passages were written.

• The historical-critical method is trying to understand the world behind the text as the author was composing the work.

• “In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current” CCC 110.

How Catholics Read the Bible

• Third, we look at the Bible (specifically books

within it) as a whole.

• We call this narrative criticism, that is trying to

understand the work as a story.

• For example, in John’s gospel, Jesus performs

only seven miracles (signs) and they build up

to the resurrection, why?

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How Catholics Read the Bible

• Fourth, and perhaps most important, is that

we pray with the Bible.

• Lectio divina-

1. Read- slowly and several times

2. Meditate-move towards meditating

3. Pray- how did the text inspire you

4. Contemplate- be in the presence of God

How Catholics Read the Bible

• Prayer- Ignatian contemplation

1.Beginning prayer- ask God to open your

mind to the passage.

2. Read slowly, place yourself in the text,

participate in the passage both active and

passive.

3.Ending prayer- reflect on your experience

and thank God for the time together.

How Catholics Read the Bible

• Any questions?